Gothenburg’s Port says freight volumes are continuing to rise in the majority of segments, despite the impact Covid-19 is having on global logistics.
During the first quarter of this year, global trade has been hit hard by the pandemic with a shortage of empty containers, continued closures and the spread of the virus being the major aggravating factors.
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In spite of this, flows through the Port of Gothenburg in the container, Ro-Ro and new vehicle segments have increased.
“The situation now is considerably more problematic than it was a year ago,” said Gothenburg Port Authority chief executive, Elvir Dzanic. “Still, volumes at the Port of Gothenburg are on the rise, reflecting how adaptable and solution-oriented the logistics sector is in the face of adversity.
“Everyone is working extremely hard at every level to meet the challenges that have emerged and in Gothenburg and Sweden, we can see by working together we have been extremely successful.”
The biggest increases during the first quarter were at the port’s Ro-Ro and vehicle terminals. With 141,000 units handled, intra-European Ro-Ro flows to and from Gothenburg were up 3% compared with the same period in 2020. This was despite the post-Brexit downturn, which saw volumes to and from the UK fall by 11% during the period.
The number of new vehicles passing through the Port of Gothenburg was 73,000, an increase of 9% compared to the first quarter of 2020. At the end of 2020, there was a resurgence following a substantial fallback in April and May and this trend continued into the first quarter of this year. The increase can be attributed mainly to vehicles exported to the European market.
After a tentative start to the year, container handling picked up in March, which proved to be the strongest month at the port in terms of container volumes since February, 2013. Overall, the increase for the quarter was 1% compared with Q1, 2020, which was itself an unusually strong quarter. The increase occurred despite the difficulties resulting from the pandemic and the ensuing shortage of empty containers.
The Port of Gothenburg is the largest port in the Nordic region. Some 30% of Swedish foreign trade passes through the Port of Gothenburg as well as half of all container traffic.
The Port of Gothenburg maintains it is the only port in Sweden with the capacity to receive the world’s largest container vessels and has the broadest range of shipping routes within and outside Europe. The 25 rail shuttles which depart each day mean companies throughout Sweden and Norway have a direct link to the largest port in the Nordic region.
The Port of Gothenburg has terminals for oil, cars, Ro-Ro, containers and passengers.
https://www.mynewsdesk.com/goteborgs_hamn/pressreleases/freight-volumes-rise-at-the-port-of-gothenburg-3094501
